DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND HIGHLIGHTS
- DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 3.2-mile loop
- DIFFICULTY: Easy
- SCENERY: Landmark buildings (both old and new), our Great Lake, public art, and peregrine falcons
- EXPOSURE: Mostly exposed
- TRAFFIC: Heavy
- TRAIL SURFACE: Asphalt
- HIKING TIME: 1.5+ hours
- DRIVING DISTANCE: 9 miles from I-77/I-480 exchange
- ACCESS: 24/7; most shops, museums, and attractions open daily.
- WHEELCHAIR TRAVERSABLE: Yes, except cemetery and historical ships
- MAPS: USGS Cleveland North and Cleveland South; street maps posted at each Regional Transit Authority stop
- FACILITIES: Public restrooms and water at Tower City and Galleria (East Ninth Street and Lakeside Avenue)
- CONTACT: Purchase tickets for the observation deck (open April–December, Saturday–Sunday) at the information desk at Terminal Tower or online at towercity cleveland.com/info/skylight (choose “Observation Deck” on the left-hand menu). To learn more about the peregrine falcons at the tower, see falconcam-cmnh.org or inquire at the information desk. See “Nearby Activities” on page 44 for additional contact information.
IN BRIEF
Here’s a hike that’s uniquely Cleveland―and it starts out at a historical landmark and shopping mall. Whether you have out-of-town guests who want to see the north coast, or you haven’t been downtown for a while, this mini-tour will put you in a Cleveland state of mind, with stops at stately Public Square, the anything-but-square Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and other highlights, including the Terminal Tower observation deck, offering panoramic views of the city. In addition to Cleveland’s man-made skyline, you may also spot some of the peregrine falcons that nest on ledges of the building’s exterior.
DESCRIPTION
From Tower City’s lower lot, go inside Tower City Center, up the escalator, and wander north through the fabulous shopping center. When the Van Sweringen brothers planned the 52-story tower in the 1920s, they worked to sway both public opinion and political decisions to have it constructed to their desired specifications. Built to be the main tower in the Cleveland Union (railroad) Terminal, it was the tallest building outside of New York City from its opening in 1930 until 1967. Today, the tower cum mall-and-office space has far outlived the railroad line for which it was planned (though the Rapid Transit station is still active), yet the building remains a signature flourish on Cleveland’s skyline.
Exit Tower City Center onto Euclid Avenue and find yourself on Public Square. The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, built in 1894, sits to your right, on the eastern side of Ontario Street. The monument to the almost 10,000 Cleveland-area soldiers who served in the Civil War is open inside; you can walk right into it, if you like.
Continue north across Public Square to the Old Stone Church. Established here on the corner of Ontario Street and Rockwell Avenue in 1834, the church has been rebuilt a couple of times since. The building you see today dates to 1855. If your timing is good (don’t interrupt a wedding!), you can go in to appreciate its ornate interior. Follow Ontario north, across St. Clair Avenue, to the Cuyahoga County Courthouse. As you approach, crane your neck to take in six stately sculptures atop the building’s facade. Various artists created the marble figures in 1911; each statue honors an individual for his contributions to English law. Sculpted by Herbert Adams, Simon de Montfort (1208– 1265), for example, created a parliament with two houses, which became the precursor of the House of Commons. Below, bronze busts of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, both by Karl Bitters, grace opposite sides of the main entrance steps.
With a nod to Misters Hamilton and Jefferson, turn left in front of the courthouse and follow Lakeside Avenue southwest about a block; then turn right onto West Third Street. From the top of the hill, you’ll catch a glimpse of Lake Erie. Follow West Third downhill, passing the Port of Cleveland on your left, and wind around the 31-acre site of Cleveland Browns Stadium. This may be a good place to get some landscaping ideas: The grounds-keepers focus on the field (which is heated to extend the growing season of the grass), so the rest of the area features hardy, attractive, low-maintenance plants.
Follow West Third east as it bends right, heading south onto Erieside Avenue―the 171-foot-tall stadium now stands to your right. Several sculptures, including one honoring Cleveland’s firefighters, dot this part of the walk. Turn left onto North Marginal Road, walking east past the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Be sure to peer behind the Science Center to marvel at the 618-foot-long William G. Mather steamship, a piece of history in striking visual contrast to the futuristic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, designed by architect I. M. Pei. Here you’ll also notice signs advertising tours on the Goodtime III. When visiting Cleveland, the Mather, Goodtime, and nearby USS COD submarine offer a comprehensive education in the city’s unbreakable connection to the Great Lakes. Tours on any of the three are enjoyable, but the hands-down best choice for hikers is a walk-and-crawl-through tour of the USS COD. (See “Nearby Activities” on page 44.) Continue your walk from here by turning right, going south on East Ninth Street. Cross over busy OH 2, also known as the Shoreway, and begin to head uphill.
Soon you’ll see the always-good-for-a-conversation-starter Free Stamp sculpture at Willard Park, on the north side of Lakeside Avenue. And just south of Lakeside, you’ll find the Galleria. The beautiful mall, modeled to honor Cleveland’s history of interior arcades, lost many retail occupants after the prestigious Tower City Center opened its mall, but the food court inside the Galleria remains popular with downtown workers and visitors.
Ahead and on your left, at the corner of East Ninth and Superior Avenue, is the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Originally constructed from 1848 to 1852, the current church is part of a complete rebuilding that took place from 1946 to 1948.
From the church, continue south about 0.5 mile (crossing Vincent, Chester, Euclid, and Prospect Avenues) to reach Bolivar Road. Progressive Field (known for years as Jacobs Field), home of the Cleveland Indians, is on your right. To see some of the interesting sculptures designed for the new ballpark in 1994, take a brief detour and follow Eagle Avenue west. Several of the sculptures function as fashionable benches: Who’s on First, Meet Me Here, and the abstract Sports Stacks. (Between you and me, I see a baseball bat in there, but you’ll see what you want to see.) Once you’ve peered inside the gates of Progressive Field, return to East Ninth and turn right, heading south again.
On the eastern side of East Ninth (on your left) is old Erie Street Cemetery. Created in 1826, when Erie Street was constructed, it was the city’s first official cemetery. Many bodies buried at church cemeteries were relocated here when the cemetery opened. And there lies Chief Thunderwater, the most likely inspiration for the city’s baseball tribe. Thunderwater appeared in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and was known as the “official” Cleveland Indian. Today, Thunderwater shares the grounds with Cleveland’s earliest permanent settlers, Lorenzo and Rebekah Carter, and other folks notable in the city’s history.
As you leave the cemetery, take East Ninth to Carnegie Avenue and head west past the front of Progressive Field, where you’ll face the oft-photographed entrance to Hope Memorial Bridge, which opened in 1932 as the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. Impressive stone carvings on each entrance represent the progression of transportation. The figures hold various icons: a covered wagon, stagecoach, car, and several trucks. Water transportation isn’t represented by the figures, but the bridge itself reminds us―it was built 93 feet above water level to allow for shipping clearance.
With your feet now on Broadway Avenue, turn right (northwest) to West Huron Road, and return to the parking garage at Tower City Center.
NEARBY ACTIVITIES
It’s OK to act like a tourist here, even if Cleveland is your hometown. Grab your camera and go see the USS COD, for starters. Open May–September, the World War II submarine tour is only for the agile. Visitors enter and exit through original hatches and climb ladders over equipment inside. For information, call 216-566-8770 or visit usscod.org. Less constraining is the Steamship William G. Mather, the 1925 flagship of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, which is now operated May–October by the Great Lakes Science Center as a floating maritime museum; call 216-694-2000 or visit greatscience.com for information. You can cruise the Cuyahoga River aboard the Goodtime III, enjoying fabulous views of Cleveland’s industrial flats and the area’s many different bridges. So (ahem) for a Goodtime, call 216-861-5110 or visit goodtimeiii.com. For a hike offering a different view of the skyline, visit Edgewater Park, part of the expanding Lakefront Reservation (see page 53).
This walk abuts Cleveland’s celebrated theater district and historic Gateway neighborhood. More information, including a schedule of walking tours focusing on the area’s history, can be found at clevelandgatewaydistrict.com or by calling 216-771-1994.
GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES
N41o 29.811' W81o 41.635'
From I-77 N, take Exit 163 (E Ninth Street). From East Ninth Street, merge onto East 14th Street; in 0.2 mile turn right onto US 422/Orange Avenue and follow signs to Public Square/Stadium. In 0.7 mile turn left onto West Huron Road. In 0.3 mile turn right onto West Sixth Street to park at the Tower City Center parking garage.
